Washer and centrifugal drier



5., 16, 1951 J. w. CHAMBERLIN 9 7 WASHER AND CENTRIF'UGAL DRIER Filed Aug. 24, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JOHN W CHAMBERL //V A TTORNE Y 1951 J. W. CHAMBERLIN WASHER AND CENTRIFUGAL DRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 24, 1946 IN VE N TOR JOHN W CHA MBERL IN ATTORNEY extraction.

. wherein:

, 1 chi'nein side view.

. Figure 2 is a rear view of Patented Jan. 16, 1951v UNITED STATES PATENT omes WASHER AND CENTRIFUGAL DRIER John Windsor Chamberlin," Mequon, Wis assignor to Bendix Home Appliances, Inc., South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application August 24, 1946, Serial No. 692,867

5 Claims.

1 1 This invention relates to a combined machine for washing and centrifugal drying of textiles.

"Itis' a primary object of the inventionto provlde-an improved mechanismcapable of rotating a clothes containing cylinder at a speed suitable for washing followedby an acceleration of the speed-jot,rotationfsufflciently to provide cenneut r. force: necessary for; extracting washing liquid: from the clothes'carried-in the cylinder.- It is a further-object to provide a mechanism using theenergy of' a spinning flywheel to assist inaccelerating a clothes containing cylinder to a higher rotative-speed and to stabilize the vibrations' of the cylinder during acceleration from washing: speed .to:

v Theabove and other objects of the invention will appear. more fully from thefollowing more ddetaile'd. descriptionand by reference to the ac- 'c'om-panyin'g" drawings forming apart hereof and Figure l i'sia vertical cross section of the mathe machine showing the .drive mechanism. v

Figure. 3- is a section through the overrunning clutch ,in the position it assumes during slow speed or washing operation.

'Figure 4 is also a'section through the overrunning clutch but in this case the mechanism is in the position it assumes during drive for high speed centrifugal. operation.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the clothes cylinder and drive mechanism therefor.

Figure 6 is an exploded view of the drive mechanism and parts thereof.

Referring-to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a combined washing and centrifugal extracting machine of the so-called horizontal axis type having a tub l designedto contain washing liquid and a rotatable, preferably perforated, clothes cylinder ll mounted-for rotation therein. The cylinder II is supported upon a shaft l2 which rotatesin spacedbearings l3 and I 4. A drive pulley I is mounted on the extending portion of extraction speed andduring 2 clockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 3 and 4, the rollers will tend to move to the small end of the tapered guides l9 to lock the driving sleeve I! to the driven member l8. and therefore to rotate the shaft l2 with'the pulley l5 since member ID is secured to shaft l2. However; in -case the inner member I8 is thedriv'ing-member-the r'oll ers will tend to be moved to-theopen'ends of-the guides l9 and the result will be-"the free rotation of the member l8' and the shaftfjlrelative. to the pulley 15. Also mountedfon-the shaft i2 is a mercury clutch and flywheel assembl .21 of the i type more particularly shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 2,452,008; 111.- this-assemblya flywheel 22 is rotatablewith andjco'nnected toa pulley 23 and a clutch plate. 24' is secured to 1'0- tate with the shaft l2. Between-the 'clutch'plate I 24 and the pulley 23 there'isa. mercuryexpander unit made up of an annular pecketzliicontaining a heavy materia1 such as: ercury and the disc members 25 and 25A on-"eher sid lofutheannular I pocket 26. Upon rotationaofiethe unificontaining the flywheel 22 at a suflicieni iyhigh; speed the mercury normally carriediri the annular pocket 26 will be thrown outward-.toward'the outer periphery of the unit andi-hwsuch': movement will expand the two discs 25%ai1df25A." As can be seen on reference to; Figure. 1-; such expansion will force the disc 25 --t"o-c6ntact the wall 22A of the flywheel 22 and willhfor ce.the-disc 25A to contact the clutch platei 24": vvhichjis secured to the shaft I2, thus clutching: the pulley and fly wheel assembly 2| withthe Sha'ft I-Z-"and' requiring the pulley 23 to rotatethe shaft I2. In the operation of the machi'n clothes to be washed are inserted in thefront-of the machine: through the clothes dooras shown and carried in the perforated clothes cylinder --ll. Suitable mechanism forming no part of they present invenshaftl2 .and'is free. to rotate on said shaft. The

pulley 15, is arranged to drive the shaft l2 through acne-way. drive connection I 6 of the conventional ball :or. roller type. Cross sections of such one-waydrive' connection I6 are; shown. in

Figures'3 and ,4" and the unit comprises an outer sleeve driving-member and an inner driven member I 8. Tapered rollerfretainer guides l8 are cut in the outer sleeve member I! so that on rotation of the sleeve driving member ll in a near the bottom of the clothes cylinder ll.

tion may be provided to cause suitable washing liquid to be admitted and carried in the, tub l0 During the washing operation the solenoid 34 is not actuated and therefore the motor 21- rotates the shaft I2 through pulley 29 and pulley 15. The' clothes cylinder l l is therefore rotated-at a relatively slow rate of rotation for washing, through the connection of pulley-l5 o thejshaft'fl by the one-way drive connectionilfiz- Such rotation continues for the time necessary for; washing and when it is desired to increasethe speedof rota-'- tion of the cylinder to 'ac-speedof rotation highenough for centrifugal""extractiom;the. solenoid 34 is actuated. Suchactuation of'jthesolenoid 8.4. as previously describedmoves t'heclutch" meme her 28 toward the pulley 32 causing such pulley to be clutched to rotate with the shaft 28. Such result causes the pulley 28 on the shaft I 2 to be started in rotative motion and because such pulley 23 is secured to the flywheel 22 this flywheel will be set in motion. In view of the fact that the mercury clutch 25 does not operate until sufflcient centrifugal force is generated the flywheel will be accelerated prior to the time that the clutch 25 operates to clutch the flywheel 22 and pulle 23 to shaft [2. At this time it should be noted that the one-way drive connection l8 shown in Figures 3 and 4 acts as an overrunnlng clutch. Therefore the energy of the rotating flywheel is made available for accelerating the cylinder II and such acceleration is accomplished in a shorter time than would be possible to accomplish such acceleration if the cylinder II with its possibly unbalanced load were thrown upon the drive without the assistance of the rotating flywheel 22. The fact that the flywheel 22 is an evenly distributed unit makes its acceleration relatively less diflicult than the cylinder I l and therefore the mechanism is accelerated with less difliculty than would normally be the case without the assistance of the flywheel 22.

Although the invention has been described by reference to a specific structure it is intended that various modifications may be made with-- out departing from fundamental principles herein disclosed and within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a mechanism for driving a rotatable unit at low and high speeds, a drive shaft adapted to drive said rotatable unit, drive means for rotating said rotatable unit at a low speed, a one-way drive connection for connecting said mechanism with said shaft, a flywheel mounted for rotation on said drive shaft, centrifugally operated clutch means for connecting said flywheel with said nection of said flywheel to rotate said unit.

shaft, means to drive said flywheel including clutch means for starting said inertia flywheel in rotation prior to the operation of said eentrifugally operated clutch means.

2. In a mechanism for driving a rotatable unit at low and high speeds, a drive shaft adapted to drive said rotatable unit, drive mechanism for rotating said shaft at low speed, a one-way drive connection for connecting said drive mechanism to rotate said shaft and rotatable unit, a flywheel rotatable relative to said shaft, and clutch means operable only after said flywheel has been started in rotation to connect said flywheel for rotation with said shaft and thereby to make available the inertia of said flywheel for acceleration of said shaft and unit in their rotation.

4. In atdrive mechanism for a rotatable member, a means to accelerate a rotating member from low speed washing rotation to higher speed extraction rotation, said means comprising a flywheel and means to rotate said flywheel before connection with said rotating member and further mechanism to connect said flywheel with said rotating member, said connecting mechanism comprising a container for mercury or other heavy liquid contained in said flywheel, expansion members adjacent said container which will be expanded by movement of said mercury caused by centrifugal force developed by rotation of said flywheel, said expansion members being adapted to contact and clutch said rotating member with said flywheel upon the expansion of saidexpansion members.

5. In a drive mechanism for a rotatable unit, a drive motor; a rotating mechanism for connecting said drive motor to rotate said rotatable unit at a low speed; an inertia flywheel; means to rotate said flywheel at a speed for centrifugal extraction; centrifugally operated clutch means for connecting said rotating inertia flywheel to rotate said rotatable unit, said clutch means comprising a mercury container in said flywheel, said mercury container being Of such a nature as to permit centrifugal force to move said mercury toward the outer circumference of said flywheel during high speed rotation to actuate or engage said clutch.

JOHN WINDSOR CHAMBERLIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,857,017 Gotz May 3, 1932 2,337,586 Bowen Dec. 28, 1943 2,392,947 Reed Jan. 15, 1946 2,452,008 Wickwire et al Oct. 19, 1948 

